SASL Newsletter - Fall 2017 Issue Issue 7 - Fall 2017 | Page 9

By Laura A. Blackburn
To begin, I am writing as someone who had a teaching career with deaf children, led a charter
school for deaf children, and was responsible for a Deaf Education teacher preparation program at a
small Midwestern college. While I have a doctoral degree in education from Gallaudet University, I am
no longer affiliated with deaf education. However, I want to share some of my thoughts. I believe that
pursuing meaningful reform in deaf education is needed, and what interests the readers of this
newsletter.
Here is my question: Why don't we pursue a new amendment to the Education of the Deaf
(EDA) of 2008 that will affect deaf children's educational experience in a profound way? The original
intent of the federal law needs to be re-examined and brought to light. I am most interested in the fact
that the EDA was authorized to provide a funding stream for Pre-College National Mission Programs at
Gallaudet University. The Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) and the Model Secondary
School for the Deaf (MSSD) are the key components that can exert influence over schools and
programs serving deaf students around the country. I am convinced that if the EDA were aligned more
explicitly with special education law (e.g., Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of
2004, formerly IDEA 1997), the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (formerly No Child Left Behind or
NCLB), and state level Deaf Child Bill of Rights legislation, effective and measureable educational
programs for deaf children could become a reality quickly.
Syphoning Legislation to Create a New Education of the Deaf Act
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The Power of ASL
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Fall 2017 – Issue 7